Valencia: Series preview

British young guns to go head-to-head for Williams F1 test drive
Dean Stoneman and Jolyon Palmer bidding for FIA Formula Two Championship
glory
Two of Britain's best young talents will go wheel-to-wheel for the
opportunity of a lifetime at the...

Two of Britain's best young talents will go wheel-to-wheel for the
opportunity of a lifetime at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain
this weekend (18/19 September) as they bid to win the 2010 FIA Formula
Two Championship and a prize test drive with the Williams F1 team.

20-year-old Dean Stoneman from Southampton and 19-year-old Jolyon Palmer
from Southwater in Sussex are the two outstanding title contenders in
Formula Two, an international single seater series designed to provide
rising stars with a cost-effective route into top level motorsport.

The FIA-regulated F2 championship has a close association with Williams
F1, who will offer a full day's test in their 2010 FW32 challenger
to the eventual F2 champion. The Formula Two car was also designed by a
six-man team from Williams, led by their legendary Director of
Engineering Patrick Head.

Stoneman and Palmer have proved the class of the field in 2010, and the
pair have enjoyed a fierce season-long battle which has seen the
championship lead change several times during the opening 16 races.
Stoneman holds the advantage going into the final two encounters
following a supreme double victory in the previous round at Oschersleben
in Germany. The 20-year-old also recorded victories during F2's
inaugural visit to Marrakech, Morocco in May, along with race wins in
Belgium, Portugal and his home circuit Brands Hatch in July.

However Stoneman still faces formidable competition from Palmer, who is
bidding to become the first British F2 champion since his father - ex-F1
driver and BBC commentator Jonathan -- who took the European F2
title in 1983.

Palmer has been on winning form from the start of the 2010 season, as the
Nottingham University student scored a commanding victory in the season
opener at Silverstone before notching up a further four wins --
including a double triumph at the famous Monza Grand Prix circuit in May.

Dean Stoneman said: "Going from the beginning of the year, I
didn't expect to be as fast as I have been. I was hoping obviously
to do the best I could, which was to finish in the top three, but
fighting for the championship has been really good and hopefully I can go
into the first race and secure the title."

Jolyon Palmer added: "Being second I've nothing to lose
really; I've got no pressure on me. I know the Valencia track quite
well and I was quck in the winter test there last year so I'm
feeling confident. It's been an amazing season, and whatever
happens for me it's been the best year of my career. Still
there's a bit more to be pushed out of it, and hopefully I can get
the prize at the end."

The winning driver will follow in the footsteps of 2009 champion Andy
Soucek, who beat Force India and McLaren reserve drivers Paul di Resta
and Gary Paffett to top the timesheets during his pirze test for the
Williams F1 team last December, before securing a reserve driver role
with the Virgin F1 team.

In addition to a Formula One rookie test drive for the overall champion,
the top three finishers in this year's F2 title showdown will
qualify for FIA Superlicences, which are necessary to test or compete in
Formula One.